Three to battle it out in Conservative selection contest for Sevenoaks seat linked to Boris Johnson and David Cameron

A former adviser to David Cameron, an ex-MP and a local councillor have been shortlisted to become the next would-be Conservative MP for Sevenoaks.

The successful candidate - if elected - will inherit one of the safest seats in the country, which was represented by the veteran MP Sir Michael Fallon. He is to stand down, leaving a majority of 21,917.

Sir Michael Fallon will step down from his Sevenoaks seat

There had been speculation at one point that both David Cameron and Boris Johnson were eyeing up the seat; the former reportedly because he wanted to return to politics, the latter because his current seat of Uxbridge is seen as vulnerable, with a majority of just over 5,000.

The three-way selection contest will take place next week.

Stewart Jackson was Conservative MP for Peterborough from 2005 to 2017. He was educated at Ramsgate’s Chatham House Grammar School. He was one of six Conservative MPs to vote against the Equal Pay (Transparency) Bill and opposed the plan to allow gay marriage. He was criticised after it was revealed he had told a constituent who disagreed with his stance and asked to be removed from his mailing list: “The feeling's fully mutual. Please feel free to never bother me again."

Laura Trott was head of strategic communications at Downing Street until Theresa May became Prime Minister. She had previously worked in the No. 10 Policy Unit and is now chief policy adviser for the Portland Communications Group.

Cllr Graham Clack was elected to Sevenoaks council in 2015 and is a self-employed recruitment consultant.